A night that an imperfect nation turned to their imperfect party... we are Fetterman!
For Republicans reality really bites. They came thisclose. On a night that was supposed to belong to deniers, their candidates, their policies, and their hubris were in large part denied. The nation stood with Fetterman and Biden, broken, tired, but unbowed. In many ways this was the litmus test for our democracy, a red wave could have wiped away more than two centuries of our grueling evolution toward “perfection.” Fair and free— whether it referred to our elections or our people— were on the ballot for the Democrats, while denialism and fascism campaigned for our opponent. They weren’t crushed, not yet, but neither were we.
After what seemed like a season of nailbiting, America looked over the brink and pulled back. Now the work begins. Just as much as the night belonged to the Fettermans among us, it is also represented by the Betos, Abrams, and Tim Ryans whose losses were just as significant because of the example they presented to their constituents and to those in the nation who watched their concession speeches. They lost hard-fought and mostly uphill battles against foes who were better funded in states that have been consistently more conservative for generations, and these Democratic candidates deferred to the voters’ will. No denials, no excuses, no calls for violence, and no regrets. Their losses are a blueprint for the future of the American recovery from the Republican assault on truth and democracy. Their states are now one step closer, one election cycle closer to moderation and greater freedoms. It is bigger than a spat between blue states and red. it is more about regaining our bearings as a nation.
So now the real work begins— again. What is really behind the fascist agenda that has recently taken over the Republican Party? How do Kari Lakes and Marjorie Taylor Whatshername gain prominence in a national political party? How does a former disgraced and soon-to-be criminally charged ex-president remain at the center of a failed movement’s beating heart? What is the lesson here for the nation and a party that has traded reason for the absurd? It seems to me we are watching a hollowing out, hopefully, a flaming out of the white-christian nationalist movement that wrapped itself in an openly fascist movement. Their movement had reached a peak and is now turning back on itself. The voters chose democracy over a lie, the ballot over an insurrection.
Today we are Fetterman, we are Biden, and for the moment we are but a ripple in the next wave. And to all the anti-Semites, bigots, racists, fascists, and misogynists who found a willing partner, a political host, in a Republican Party that traded truth for power, watch out— we are coming for you.